Moto X Style Display: What is a TFT-LCD?

Since the announcement the other day, I've seen a lot of misinformation floating around about what a TFT-LCD is or is not. It's time for everyone to get informed.

I'll just get right to the point... Every LCD in every computer, phone, and television produced since the early 2000s has been some type of TFT-LCD. TFT stands for thin-film-transistor. Thin-film-transistors are used in all modern LCDs to enable active matrix addressing of pixels. No one makes non-TFT (passive matrix) LCDs anymore as it's old, inferior technology!

Next, let me address this phrase that has been popping up everywhere lately: "IPS is better than TFT." No. Just no. This statement makes no sense because IPS (In-plane switching) displays are actually a type of TFT-LCD. There are many types of TFT-LCDs: IPS, TN, MVA, and PVA just to name a few. You wouldn't say "a Great White is cooler than a shark", would you? Because a Greate White IS a shark! So stop saying "IPS is better than TFT."

This quote, directly from the horse's mouth (the Lenovo / Motorola website), sums it all up nicely:

IPS, also known as In-Plane Switching, is a type of monitor display and screen technology. More specifically, an IPS panel is a type of TFT LCD (or “active matrix” LCD). LCD, or Liquid Crystal Display, is the use of light modulating properties from unlit liquid crystals for providing a flat panel or electronic visual display. TFT, which stands for Thin Film Transistor, is an LCD display variant built and marketed for enhanced color, as well as contrast and black levels. The two most common types of TFT LCDs are IPS and TN displays.

The active matrix IPS TFT LCD was developed by Hitachi in 1996 as a solution to the display limitations of TN TFT LCDs (Twisted Nematic) from the late 1980s, which are standard non-IPS LCDs.

So the bottom line is, we can't tell how good the LCD in the Moto Style will be by looking at the spec sheet, because the spec sheet only tells us that the display is a TFT-LCD, as every modern LCD is, but it doesn't tell us the important info... which type of TFT-LCD it is. It could be IPS. It could be TN. It could be some other technology. But if initial reports and reactions are anything to go by, it's looking pretty damn good whatever it is.

My background: Graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech, worked as an engineer at Panasonic, and I currently work for a network security company developing iOS and Android apps.

Since the announcement the other day, I've seen a lot of misinformation floating around about what a TFT-LCD is or is not. It's time for everyone to get informed.

I'll just get right to the point... Every LCD in every computer, phone, and television produced since the early 2000s has been some type of TFT-LCD. TFT stands for thin-film-transistor. Thin-film-transistors are used in all modern LCDs to enable active matrix addressing of pixels. No one makes non-TFT (passive matrix) LCDs anymore as it's old, inferior technology!

Next, let me address this phrase that has been popping up everywhere lately: "IPS is better than TFT." No. Just no. This statement makes no sense because IPS (In-plane switching) displays are actually a type of TFT-LCD. There are many types of TFT-LCDs: IPS, TN, MVA, and PVA just to name a few. You wouldn't say "a Great White is cooler than a shark", would you? Because a Greate White IS a shark! So stop saying "IPS is better than TFT."

This quote, directly from the horse's mouth (the Lenovo / Motorola website), sums it all up nicely:

So the bottom line is, we can't tell how good the LCD in the Moto Style will be by looking at the spec sheet, because the spec sheet only tells us that the display is a TFT-LCD, as every modern LCD is, but it doesn't tell us the important info... which type of TFT-LCD it is. It could be IPS. It could be TN. It could be some other technology. But if initial reports and reactions are anything to go by, it's looking pretty damn good whatever it is.

My background: Graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech, worked as an engineer at Panasonic, and I currently work for a network security company developing iOS and Android apps.

Thanks for the in-depth explanation. Regardless of the type of TFT display it has, my one concern is the effect it, and the features displayed on it has on the battery. I'm sure the exact type of TFT display would possibly help to guage said effect, though I have my doubts on the longevity of the battery because of these factors. It doesn't seem to be large enough, on paper, at least.

Some TV manufacturers have implemented "zones" for the backlighting on their TVs. I wonder if Motorola is doing this with this phone so only the zones that are needed will light. Of course, that requires having an array of LEDs behind the screen so it may not be the case due to the thickness needed (compared to lighting from the side/top/bottom).

The bottom line is that if it's a TFT LCD, it's not AMOLED. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to each technology, and some people went Moto because they were a source for AMOLED screens that were uncontaminated by TouchWIZ. That is no longer the case, and so AMOLED fans are reasonably and understandably concerned.

Agreed, TN is most commonly found on those too good to be true 28" monitors that sell for $219 from a few years back. I think the last TN panels i remember in smartphones were Sony/Samsung's SuperLCD that they crammed in those HTC's when they ran out of AMOLEDs.

Well, the majority of laptops sold still use TN screens (almost all of the sub-$1000 models). Even the Macbook Air uses a TN display. Smartphones/tablets have done away with them because of the viewing angle issues since you're more likely to be looking at your phone from an angle.